Feeling ravenous can undermine a sensible diet in at least two ways. First, it can make you eat when you don't need any food—sometimes the feeling is the product of a bored or worried mind rather than an actual indication of hunger. Second, it's real enough to send you into an eating frenzy at your next meal.

By adopting a few smart strategies, you can make it through those moments of weakness—or prevent them from happening in the first place.

From the May 2007 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine